Dad's Review - Beware of CD-R King's 75 watts power inverter

Recent typhoon Glenda's barreling across Metro Manila and nearby provinces has caused power black out for more 24 hours in many places including ours. When power was restored, a rotating brown-out of 5 hours was implemented across the Metro and nearby sub-urban due to thin supply of electricity since several power plants bogged down due to strong winds brought by this typhoon.

All our mobile phones batteries went kaput one-by-one due to absence of charging stations. We even drained the battery of our laptops so we would be able to charge our mobile phones which we also used to as flashlight and to play music during black-out.

screen grab from CD-R King website

To lessen the impact of black out and rotating brown-outs, my family and I drove to SM North EDSA to enjoy its cool air. More so, I trekked to CD-R King at Trinoma Mall to purchase a power inverter which I planned to connect to my car's cigarette lighter socket.

The only available power inverter model adaptable to my car's cigarette lighter socket at CD-R King was PWI-006 (75W) V. It costs 480 pesos and has a single 220 VAC output and a USB port that can be used to charge mobile phones and other gadgets. I found this handy power inverter perfect for my car; it can also supply 75 watts maximum power as well. 

CDR King's staff initially tested a unit on display but it's 220 VAC output wasn't working thus I ended buying the second unit after its 220 VAC and USB port were both tested OK. The inverter came with 7 days unit replacement warranty.

power inverter connected to lighter socket

On our way home I connected this power inverter to my car so that my daughter could charge her Blackberry mobile phone for 15 minutes since she needed to communicate with our online shop's clients. Soon after, it was my wife's turn to charge her SONY Experia mobile phone.

After 30 minutes of driving we reached home thus my wife disconnected her mobile phone from the inverter. After I have parked our car I tried to remove the power inverter from the cigarette lighter socket. To my surprise, the inverter was extremely hot and a burnt smell was coming from the inverter. I never used the inverter again since it might cause bigger problem to my car's electrical system.

After 3 days I returned the unit back to CD-R King Trinoma Mall and explained to the sales lady about what happened. Their technician suggested to the sales lady to replace my inverter with a new one. However, we tested two new units and found their 220 VAC outputs were not working. I decided to forego with the 75 watts power inverter and searched for a different item with the same price as replacement because CD-R King wouldn't return my money as per their policy.

power bank as replacement for my power inverter

I found a power bank with the same price of 480 pesos. Until now, the power bank is working fine. 

Obviously, some CD-R King's products are low quality but in fairness, they would replace your unit without further ado as long as it is within warranty period.